This three-year Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) provides $778,435 to the University of Massachusetts Medical School to investigate the mechanisms underlying circatidal rhythms in the coastal crustacean Parhyale hawaiensis. The researchers will work to elucidate the fundamental properties and molecular underpinnings of circatidal clocks, which allow organisms to anticipate tidal changes similar to circadian clocks and daily environmental oscillations. Specifically, the award will support determining how P. hawaiensis uses environmental cues like water levels and turbulence to synchronize behavior with tides. It will also profile gene expression across tidal cycles to identify core circatidal genes and those regulating organ-specific physiology. The funding enables involving undergraduate underrepresented minority students in related research through the NSF-supported "Biological Discovery in Woods Hole" program and engaging local high school students through a new "Chronobiology Club."
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